The essence of army life is opaque to many civilians. My thanks go to those who helped lift the fog a bit: Brigadier General Joe Bass; Lieutenant Colonel David Rabb and his wife, Kim; and Lieutenant Colonel (and Chaplain) Pat Ryan. To help me get a better sense of a military career and the qualities needed in a successful general officer, retired Army General Paul Kern and retired Air Force General Joe Ralston generously contributed their advice.
Our system of military justice differs in significant ways from that which operates in civilian life. The following gave me wonderful advice and assistance: Eugene Fidell; Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Adam Oler; Air Force Major Kate Oler; Lieutenant General Jack Rives, judge advocate general of the air force; and Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Sean Sullivan. Dr. Arthur Blank Jr., attorney Gordon Erspamer, and Dr. Chad Peterson helped me better understand post-traumatic stress disorder. Three psychiatrists helped me probe the complicated interactions between the McCarran, Gallagher, and D’Abruzzo families: Dr. Bill Glazer, Dr. Rodney Shapiro, and Dr. Charles Silberstein. And psychologist Philip Trompetter helped me render Brian McCarran’s gaps in memory.
Particularly difficult were scenes of combat in Iraq: for civilians other than journalists, firsthand research is impossible. Bill Murphy Jr. was generous in describing his experiences, and I also relied on his wonderful book In a Time of War. I’m also deeply indebted to two other riveting accounts of military service in Iraq: Packing Inferno, by Tyler Boudreau, and The Long Road Home, by Martha Raddatz. Anyone wishing to better grasp what the soldiers and their families have faced would profit from reading these three books. With respect to PTSD, other helpful reading included Invisible Wounds of War, a report by the RAND Corporation; several articles by Joshua Kors in the Nation; two law review articles, “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder on Trial,” by Major Timothy B. Hayes, and “Solving the Mystery of Insanity Law,” by Jeremy A. Bell; and documents from the case Veterans for Common Sense v. Mansfield. I also drew extensively from the Manual for Courts-Martial and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Among civilians, I received great advice about the construction, prosecution, and defense of a homicide case from friends old and new: prosecutors Linda Allen and Al Giannini; defense lawyers Jim Collins and Hugh Levine; pathologist Dr. Terri Haddix; ballistics expert Jaco Swanepoel; and homicide inspector Joe Toomey. As for martial arts, J. T. Collins was patient in helping me imagine Joe D’Abruzzo’s lethal skills.
As always, I’m indebted to my literary board of directors: my wonderful agent, Fred Hill; my terrific editor, John Sterling; copy editor Bonnie Thompson; my perspicacious assistant, Alison Thomas; and, of course, my wife, Dr. Nancy Clair.
Finally, there are the people to whom this book is dedicated. Before I ever knew Bill Cohen, I admired him for his novels, his poetry, his nonfiction accounts of Washington life, and, in particular, his courageous service during Watergate and after, first as a congressman and then as a senator from Maine. Since I met Bill thirteen years ago, he has served as secretary of defense and founded his own worldwide consulting firm, the Cohen Group. And his friendship has become one of the great pleasures of my and Nancy’s life.
This is all the more true because of Bill’s wife, Janet Langhart Cohen, broadcaster, journalist, writer, and playwright. Janet’s insight and empathy, along with Bill’s, were again evidenced when both of them helped me develop the characters of Senator Corey Grace and actress Lexie Hart, the multiracial couple who were the protagonists of my recent novel of presidential politics, The Race.
Through Bill, I met my friend Bob Tyrer, now president of the Cohen Group. In addition to being terrific company, Bob has kindly installed me as perhaps the Cohen Group’s most persistent pro bono client. Again and again, on subjects from military life to geopolitics, Bob and his colleagues have given me the same world-class advice and insights their more conventional clients enjoy. In addition to Generals Kern and Ralston, on this fictional trip Jen Miller and General Maria Owens were unfailingly kind in steering me to great sources. For their friendship and unceasing help, this book is dedicated to Bill, Janet, Bob, and all my friends at the Cohen Group.
About the Author
RICHARD NORTH PATTERSON is the author of The Spire, Exile, and fifteen other bestselling and critically acclaimed novels. Formerly a trial lawyer, he was the SEC liaison to the Watergate special prosecutor and has served on the boards of several Washington advocacy groups. He lives on Martha’s Vineyard and in San Francisco and Cabo San Lucas with his wife, Dr. Nancy Clair.
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